Running a 10-kilometer race or biking across the country are both impressive feats on their own, but add temperatures in the triple digits, and even the athletes are calling themselves crazy.

Several college students are biking from California to Washington, D.C., to raise awareness for children with disabilities.

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"I do think it's crazy. I feel worse for my teammates who have longer races than I," said cyclist Randy Wassinger.

"We're in this Midwest heat wave, and we're really starting to feel it," said cyclist Taylor West. "It's been a pretty amazing trek so far."

"You want to stay hydrated the entire time, because you don’t want to get heat exhaustion or dehydration, because that's so hard to come back from," said cyclist Billy Baker.

The same rule of thumb is being used at the U.S.A. Club track and field national championship on Friday.

Meet director Will Lindgren said they are being more than careful with the rising temperatures.

"You have to be really careful in this heat," Lindgren said. "We have ice kiddie pools over here, full of ice water for the athletes. We tried to cover every single base to make sure these athletes are taken care of."

Even in record-breaking heat, the athletes don't make excuses. The track runners said the heat is actually OK for sprinters because it keeps their muscles warm.